Orioles Coaches Collection

At times, I almost forget that I am still trying to add a few Orioles' coaches autographs to wrap up my managers & coaches collection. That mini-collection has never been a top priority for me, but I have been able to acquire signatures of all of the managers in O's history, as well as all of the coaches but two. I'm still also looking for a few upgrades as well.  Here is my need list as things currently stand and what I'm looking for:
Carlos Bernhardt- Any autograph
Minnie Mendoza- 1981 Miami Orioles, 1988 French Bray
Tom Oliver- 1954 Topps coach card
Ralph Rowe- 1984 Orioles postcard
Ray Scarborough- Any autograph

The various autographs in my coaches collection really run the gambit visually, much more than my Orioles player collection which is probably 90% cards, and as many Orioles cards as possible. However, it's pretty rare that coaches are included on cards, so I will gladly snag anything that's signed.

I would say about 50% of my coaches collection features autographs on team postcards, which is typically the only item produced of the coaches that picture them in an Orioles uniform.

A few index cards reside in my collection as well, but notice these are mostly guys that I am on the lookout to upgrade.

Jimmie Adair

Minnie Mendoza

 Tom Oliver

Ralph Rowe

There are also a few random major release sets that included coaches, but that largely seems to be a thing of the past.

While some others were featured on cards in an oddball release over the years. These are both French Bray cards from two different years.

Some of the guys were also coaches in the Orioles minor league system, so I have signed cards of them from the team sets issued by the various minor league affiliates.

To be continued...

Unpossible Autograph Friday- Harvey Haddix

(Every Friday I profile a former Oriole who has passed away. I've substituted the word unpossible for impossible as an homage to a line from "The Simpsons". Young Ralph Wiggum, who is a pennies short of a dollar, says "Me fail English? That's unpossible.")

This week's unpossible autograph is of Harvey Haddix, a man who many think threw the best game in Major League history. On May 26, 1959, while pitching for the Pirates, Harvey threw a perfect game for twelve innings, before he gave up a hit and a run in the thirteenth inning and lost the game 1-0. He retired a Major League record 36 consecutive Milwaukee Braves hitters, which was no small feat since the Braves were one of the best hitting teams of the era. His record has stood the test of time and is very unlikely ever to be surpassed since many of today's pitchers can't even last nine innings, let alone twelve. His Pirates teammates felt awful that they hadn't been able to score him a single run to put his perfect game in the record books.

Harvey pitched in the Majors from 1952-65 with the St. Louis Cardinals ('52-'56), Philadelphia Phillies ('56-'57), Cincinnati Redlegs ('58), Pittsburgh Pirates ('59-'63), and Baltimore Orioles ('64-'65). He likely would've began his big league career earlier but he spent 1951 in the military during the Korean War. Over his fourteen season career, Harvey was an All-Star for three consecutive seasons from 1953-'55, won a World Series with the Pirates in 1960, was the Rookie of the Year runner-up in 1953, and won three consecutive Gold Gloves from 1958-'60. He very likely could have won more Gold Gloves but the first year the award was handed out was 1957, almost halfway through his career.

Haddix was exclusively a reliever by the time he arrived in Baltimore in 1964 and pitched well for two seasons before retiring. After his playing days were over, he became a pitching coach for the Mets, Reds, Red Sox, Indians, and Pirates

Early in his career with the Cardinals, he earned the nickname "Kitten" because he looked so much like older teammate Harry "The Cat" Brecheen (who later became the Orioles first pitching coach in 1954 and still held the position when Harvey pitched for the O's in the mid-'60s).

Harvey developed emphysema and passed away in 1994 at the age of 68. Even if it doesn't count as an official perfect game, I would have a hard time arguing that your masterpiece on May 26, 1959 wasn't the greatest game ever thrown. RIP Harvey.